D.C. Is Best For Finding a Job, Analysis Finds

The greater Washington, D.C., region has the strongest job market in the nation, according to Juju.com, a search engine that compares local unemployment rates with online job listings in each state.

September 2, 2010

The nation's capital has more jobs posted online than people seeking to fill them. That is a stark contrast from Michigan, where there are eight unemployed workers for every job posted on the Internet.

The sharp differences between diverse parts of the country are contained in a new analysis of the jobs market by Juju.com, a search engine that compares traditional unemployment rates with the number of online job postings it finds in each state.

The result is imperfect, of course, since Juju.com can tally only the jobs for which there are online listings -- and since many people compete for jobs beyond their own state's borders. But the analysis provides a new way of determining which parts of the country may be most -- and least -- attractive for job seekers.

Not only is the District of Columbia faring well, but both of its neighbors, Maryland and Virginia, also have strong job markets, with fewer than two unemployed workers for each job listing. Nebraska and North Dakota round out the top five.

Juju.com found that the worst five job markets are in Kentucky, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada and Michigan -- each of which has more more than five unemployed people per job listing.